Smoke and Steam
by aajjww121
Summary: Weiss valued her medical studies very highly, and her coffee nearly as highly. Now if only the barista didn't smell like smoke all the time... A little Freezerburn fic. Reviews welcome.
1. Smoke Flavored Coffee

Weiss struggled to push down her disgust. Here she was, trying to study, and the barista smelled like smoke _again_. She snapped her book shut and sighed before grabbing her empty mug. With a scowl she set off towards the counter, intent on getting more coffee _and_ giving that blasted girl a piece of her mind.

She watched as the blond chatted amiably with the customer in front of her. With a clinical eye she traced the curve of her lips, the backs of her fingers, and the depths of her magenta eyes, looking for any of the telltale signs of cigarette usage. No yellowing of the skin, no bloodshot eyes, no ash burns…. If it weren't for the damn smell that she seemed to exude all over the place, she would've been certain that the girl didn't smoke at all.

The line moved forward one, and Weiss could pick up that odd sulfur smell that seemed to hang on the blonde's skin. It wasn't strong, a mere undercurrent to the smoky scent that hung in the air, tickling the tip of her nose. Weiss had long since pinned down the source of this particular scent as being from the barista's hair products. After all, how could she possibly maintain that mass of thick, golden locks with anything but the strongest of shampoos and conditioners? Weiss shuddered at the imagined cost of washing that hair even once, much less of keeping it dyed that color.

Finally she made it to the counter and placed her mug on the counter, trying to hide her scowl and failing. She made eye contact with the barista only once before looking away quickly. "Coffee, black," she said coldly.

"And a good morning to you too, Princess," the barista chuckled, grabbing up the mug and pouring a stream of steaming liquid into it. "Wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?"

"Actually I woke up fine, Yang. I'm just having to deal with this annoying little smell that someone in here is giving off," Weiss retorted, crossing her arms. She chose to ignore the use of the nickname the blond had assigned her.

"Really?" Yang asked, bemused. "I don't smell anything."

"Yes, well, it's a well-documented fact that smokers _can't_ smell much of anything, so I'm not exactly surprised. Don't even try denying it, I could smell you from across the room. You smoked before coming into work, didn't you?" she asked pointedly.

"Hmm, I don't think I did," Yang replied, adding two shots of cream while Weiss wasn't paying attention. She presented the drink to her with a flourish. "Maybe the cigarettes have started eating away at my brain!" she offered jokingly as she rung up Weiss' black coffee. "2.57, please."

Weiss glared at Yang's stupid, perfect, endearing grin as she slapped the money onto the counter. "Take this seriously! Smoking has health implications that could lead to serious issues later on in life. You can't keep smoking your life away!"

Yang sighed as she handed her back her change. "Look, Princess, I'm glad you care, but don't you have, like, tests to study for? One would think that a med student would care more about their grades and less about the life choices of a minimum wage coffee maker."

"What I choose to care and not care about is my business," she replied haughtily, stuffing the change in the tip jar. "Besides, what good is becoming a doctor if I can't even convince someone to stop smoking?" With that she turned on her heel and stalked off, making sure to grab her coffee. She failed to see the bemused smile spread across the barista's face as the next customer moved to the counter.

Weiss returned to her table and snapped her book back open, making sure it was on the right page. Her eyes skimmed the pages as she sat there, her mind focused on the problem of the blond behind her. How could she convince her to stop smoking? Slowly, an idea grew into a plan, and she sipped at her coffee, surprised at how good it tasted. She licked her lips, not noticing the barista watching her with a smile.

The next day, Weiss missed her usual morning stop at the corner café she so enjoyed studying in. She instead spent the morning working on her plan, and when it was complete, went to catch the barista as she left work.

Weiss sighed as that familiar smoky scent tickled at her nostrils even before she entered the café. How could one person put out such a powerful aroma? Pushing that thought aside, she elbowed the door open and made a beeline for the counter.

The barista smiled as her eyes caught sight of the white haired girl, and Weiss was certain that for a moment she saw a flicker of relief cross the blonde's face. It was gone in an instant, and Weiss chose to ignore it as she entered the queue, her hands gripping her book bag just a little tighter than normal. As the line moved forward she found herself watching the taller girl's easy movements, the way she always seemed to have a smile on her face, and the way that everyone she talked to seemed to leave smiling. Not for the first time she caught herself thinking that the girl was more than a little attractive, even by Weiss' elevated standards.

When she finally made it to the front she hesitated before placing her mug on the counter. "Coffee, black," she said, managing to get it out mostly by habit.

Yang looked her up and down a moment before nodding and grabbing the mug. "Good to see you too, Princess. You didn't come in this morning."

"No, I… had a project I needed to finish," she said hesitantly, not wanting to reveal too much. "Is it alright if I ask you a question?"

"Well, I can't guarantee I'll answer it, but sure, go ahead," Yang replied, focusing on the stream of coffee going into the mug.

"…Are you doing anything after work?" Weiss asked, nervousness plain in her voice.

Yang was so surprised she almost dropped Weiss' mug. "I, uh, no, I guess I'm not," she replied, "I mean, I'm free for something."

"Then, would you mind maybe, coming to watch me put on a presentation?" Weiss asked.

Yang didn't reply until she turned to give Weiss her mug back, her face carefully composed. "I'd love to," she said, her eyes seeming to glitter in the sunlight. "2.57."

Weiss paid with a smile on her face and didn't bother to stick around for Yang to give her back her change. Finally, she would get her to stop smoking! Very nearly skipping over to her usual table, it never occurred to her that her words might have been interpreted as something more than a friendly invite.


	2. A Friendly Presentation

Yang nearly missed the next customer's order as she stared out after Weiss, a giddy smile threatening to break out across her lips. Of all the things to happen today, she certainly hadn't expected little miss health inspector to ask her out on a date. Well, she supposed it wasn't a date, but still, it was something like a date, and she could work with that.

She hummed as she got back into the rhythm of her work, taking orders and dispensing them with almost clockwork precision. A presentation, Weiss had said. Maybe it was just her speaking in front of her classmates, or maybe it was some big important make-or-break moment for the aspiring doctor, but it was still a request for moral support of the sort usually reserved for someone close.

She chuckled to herself. The girl had spent the last three months berating her about how she smelled, at first to Yang's annoyance, then to her amusement. Over those three months, they had fallen into a routine that Yang had been happy to maintain, with Weiss worrying about her health and harassing her every day, and Yang trying to lift Weiss' spirits with jokes and extra cream in her coffee. She'd learned a lot about the aspiring doctor over that time, like the fact that she doodled on her napkins and that when she smiled, really smiled, the entire room seemed to light up like someone had set the sun in the middle of it.

She shook her head slightly, refocusing on the coffee she was supposed to be handing someone. It wouldn't do to get distracted by thinking about that now, especially when she didn't even know Weiss' intentions. For all she knew, this was just an invitation to join her inner circle of friends. If it was a more _serious_ offer on the other hand, then Yang knew that they'd have a few things to talk about. After all, she might know a lot about Weiss from talking to her, but she had made sure that Weiss learned very little about her.

Her musing continued until the end of her shift, when she greeted the next barista and headed over to the far corner of the café, where Weiss always hid herself away. She sat down as quietly as she could, not wanting to distract the ivory-haired girl from her book. She followed the track of her icy-blue eyes, her gaze lingering for a moment on the scar she'd never worked up the nerve to ask about. She was still looking when those pale eyes glanced up at her, going wide in surprise before settling into a piercing glare.

"How long have you been sitting there?" Weiss asked, her voice laced with surprise and suspicion.

"Only a few minutes. I didn't want to distract you from…," Yang glanced at the title of the book, "…the wonders of the circulatory system."

"…I see," Weiss replied, sounding unconvinced. "Well, if you're off work then we better get going." Yang stood as Weiss put her book away and slung her bag over her shoulder, smirking at the fact that the smaller girl had to fall a short distance to touch the ground again when she got off her chair.

She followed Weiss out the door, surprised at how well her own stride matched Weiss'. The girl didn't take long steps, but she took them quick. Yang's own long, slow strides were a stark contrast, even though the overall effect was essentially the same. She pondered which of them would win in a footrace as she followed the med student towards the college campus and into one of the buildings.

Yang glanced around at the high ceilings and long hallways, noting how clinical it all looked. A few other students passed them by as they moved through the maze of hallways, going up two floors before arriving at a door labelled "Conference Room."

"Alright, you just go in and sit somewhere, and I'll get things set up," Weiss said, heading down towards another door. Yang watched her go, noting how the light shimmered off her platinum hair, and sighed wistfully before going inside.

The room was dominated by a large table surrounded by chairs, a projector on the ceiling facing a blank wall at one end. The table was bare except for a phone intercom system meant for conference calls, and the wall-length window looked out onto one of the plazas placed throughout the campus. She spent a few moments gazing out at the view before the projector sprang to life behind her.

The images coming through soon had her collapsed into a chair, trying to suppress the laughter that was welling up inside of her. Weiss had invited her here to watch a powerpoint about the dangers of smoking. Of all the possibilities she had considered for being invited, this had certainly not been among them, and she found it _hilarious_. Soon she was doubled over laughing, not entirely sure why she found it so funny, and completely oblivious to Weiss staring at her from the doorway.


End file.
